Package and packaging container



1937. ,E. M. BROGDEN 2,089,728

PACKAGE AND PACKAGING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l1937- N E. M. BROGDEN 2,089,728

PACKAGE AND PACKAGING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 741l [26 Ernesi' MBro g'den 1937. E. M. BROGDEN 2,089,728

PACKAGE AND PACKAGING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3ErneslMBfo o'dezi Aug. 10, 1937. E. M. BROGDEN PACKAGE AND PACKAGINGCONTAINER Filed Feb. 14, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 E172 esi/ILBm W m 1 E. M.BROGDEN ,728

PACKAGE AND PACKAGING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 14, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5ErnesZ' MBroga en Patented Aug. 10, 1 937 PaGKAGE AND 2,089,123PACKAGING comma Ernest 1th Brogden, New Haven, Conn. ApplicationFebruary 14, 1935, Serial No. 6,585

25 Claims.

This inventionrelates to packages and packaging containers; and itrelates more particularly to containers and the combination thereof withcontained articles to form complete packages, 5 both the containers andthe packages possessing novel and desirable characteristics that renderthem peculiarly fitted to meet practical trade requirements notsatisfactorily met heretofore. More particularly, the invention has todo with consumer-unit containers and packages ofv a type permittingarticles of generally globular form and substantial size, especiallyfresh fruitand vegetables, to be displayed to purchasers and inspectedby them; and, most desirably, also suited for use in shipping ortransporting such articles in the course of distribution from theproducer to the consumer, while affording them effective protectionagainst mechanical injury.

The invention finds applicability in various fields, but is particularlyuseful in connection with thedistribution and sale of fresh fruits andvegetables that are more or less globular in form and of suchsubstantial size as commonly to. be sold to consumers in unit number,such as a dozen, or any convenient multiple or fraction of such unitnumber. The invention is also applicable, however, where such articlesare sold in weight units instead of number units. Among fruits andvegetables in connection with whose distribution and sale the novelcontainer and package of the invention offer particular advantages maybe mentioned citrus. fruits, including oranges, grapefruit, tangerinesand lemons; deciduous fruits such as apples, pears, peaches and plums;and vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and pota,

toes. While such fruits and vegetables vary considerably in specificcontour, they are of generally globular shape or form. Moreover, incommercial practice,-most of them are customarilysuch perishable foodarticles 0 commodities that the invention finds its greatest presentutility.

This specific'use of the invention willtherefore be more particularlyreferred to hereinafter in disclosing the underlying principlesinvolved; but 55 it is to be understood that this is only for purposesof ready explanationandillustration and is not to be construed aslimiting in effect.

- In attempting to provide a consumer unit container or receptacleandpackage for commercial distribution and marketing of fruits andvegetables of the character referred to, numerous fac-- tors of vital.importance have to be considered.- In the first place, the cost ofmanufacture should be relatively small, since otherwise the completepackage cannot profitably be sold to a consumer at an attractively lowprice. The container should also possess sufficient strength andstillne'ss to be self-sustaining and to prevent the package beingbrokenand its contents injured under ordinary handling conditions which,especially if the articles are to be shipped or transported'in thecontainer a substantial distance, may often be somewhat severe.Moreover, the. containershould hold the articles snugly enough toprevent substantial relative movement thereof within the containersuchas would result in undue chafing or rubbing during transportation. It isalso desirable that it be possible for a purchaser easily -to inspectthe articles in a consumer-unit package as to their quality or grade andcondition; and it is equally desirable that the dealer be able todisplay to advantage the articles contained in such packages. Moreover,it is of great importance that the general appearance of the'consumerunit package as a whole be attractive; and, in non-delivery retail tradeespecially, that the package be of such shape and contour as to beeasily handled and carried by the customer. Heretofore no container andpackage of theconsumer-unit type has been available in the art thatwould satisfactorily meet all the various practical requirements andpossess the advantageous characteristics above mentioned,notwithstanding the fact that much thought and research has been putupon the problem.

40 As will be pointed out in detail hereinafter, the

best embodiment of the invention, the package is provided with elasticfastening or securing means operative automatically to restore it to itsnormal condition after such inspection is completed. The novel containeralso automatically accommodates itself to reasonable variations from theintended mean or average standard size and departure from normalglobular'form,

' of the articles composing the unit to be held therein, whether thearticles happen 'to be somewhat oversize or undersize. mains snugglyfilled even where the oranges (e. g.) it contains may shrink to someextent after orig- ,inally beingplaced therein, due to the moderatewitheringor wilting often undergone by fresh fruit and vegetablesduringthe distributing and marketing period.

Another important.advantage aflorded by the invention is that any of thevarious types of the novel containers may be provided in a definiteseries so systematically graduated in size or capacity, that thecomponent containers of the .given series correspond to the entire rangeof standard or established trade sizes of a, given class of articles,such as oranges, thereby permitting the distribution and sale of allsizes within the established range, each size'in unit containers of theparticular capacity and proportioningadapted to accommodate the desiredconsumer unit of articles of that size to best advantage.

Most desirably, the novelcontainer is structurally strong andself-sustaining and, in its best embodiments, will withstand theapplication of substantial external force without deformation;

the consumer normally has to pay for the same quantity under conditionsat present prevailing in the trade.

Generally described, the container or receptacle of .the presentinvention comprises a bowl or tray portion constituting the lower partor-body.

' To the upper edge or periphery of the body are 'hinged cover flaps ofsuch configuration that when they are moved or swung over the traysection they only partly cover the same, leaving a central portion ofthe top open to expose the contents. Furthermore in the best embodimentsof the invention, these flaps are hinged attheir bases to the containerat spaced localities; that is, there are'spaces or gaps left between theflap bases where they are hinged to the container body. Moreover, theflaps are of such shape that they do'not overlap when moved inwardlyinto their normal covering position and, most desirably, they do noteven contact with each other Thus the container renovel container filledwith fruit, such as when the container is iilled' with its unit quota ofglobular articles of the normal mean standard size or sizescontemplated. Consequently,

in this preferred embodiment of the invention,

the complete package is open not only centrally but at spaced peripherallocalities as well; and

; since in the best form of the package the major portion of thearticles composing the contained unit are in such arrangement that theyproject above the upper edge of the bowl or tray section of thecontainer, the majority of the containedarticles are prominently visiblethrough the central and peripheral openings left uncovered by thecooperating cover flaps.

The novel container may be constructed of any suitable material;but-ordinarily it is most desirable that the material employed be ofsuch character that both the tray or body portion and the cover flapshinged thereto are structurally rigid individually and resistant todeforming stresses of substantial magnitude. Fibrous material such asbox-board (e. g. fiber-board) or ticing the invention is fibrous pulp,such as wood pulp, from whichcontainers embodying the invention may bemolded complete in one integral piece by methods and apparatus generallywell known in the pulp moldingart. In further explaining the principlesof the invention, such a container will be described hereinafter by wayof illustrative example; but it is to be understood that the newcontainer may be made of various I materials other than pulp, as hasbeen hereinaboveindicated, and by methods other than molding. I i

In the accompanying drawingsfwhich illustrate certain practicalembodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 shows in perspective-one form of the oranges, to form a completepackage; 1

Figs. 2 and 3 are side and end elevations, re-

spectively, and Figs. 4 and 5 are a top plan and bottom view,respectively of the complete package shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a top plan of the container with the cover flaps swung backout of covering or closing position, with the proper. arrangement of theglobular articles therein shown more or less diagrammatically;

Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sections on the lines l-'l and 88,respectivelymf Fig. 6, the arrangement of the contained articles beingagain shown more or less diagrammatically;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the container on the diagonal line99 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing how a number of the containers 'canbe nested for shipment or storage;

Fig. 11' is a top plan of another package emboding the principles oftheinvention, the container being generally similar to that shown in Icomer view of the same, and a vertical section of the container or boxonly on the line l--l5 of Fig. 13;

Figs. 16, 17 and 18 illustrate still another form which the containerand package of the invention may take, the figures being, respectively,a top plan, side elevation, and end view looking in I the direction ofthe longer axis; and

Fig. 19 is a vertical section through the con-.

tainer'on the line l9l9'of Fig. 16.

Referring first to that form of the consumerunit container and packageillustrated in Figs. 1-9 inclusive, I0 is the bottom, and II and I! arethe side walls, of the tray or bowl member constituting the 'bodyproperof the container which isgenerally polygonal in plan, in this 'in-"stance rectangular with walls. ll slightly longer peripherally.thanwalls l2.

In this particular instance, the side walls are shown inclined or flaredoutwardly toward the top for the purpose, among others, of enabling theempty containers to be nested closely together. Two pairs of partcoverflaps, l3 and M, are hingedly united along their bases to the side wallsII and I2, respectively. These cover flaps, intheir operative c0v-'ering position shown in Fig. 1,-for example, partly cover the top oropen side of the container body,

leaving a relatively large central opening I5, however, and comeropenings 16 between adjacent flapbases, each of which openings in thisinstance is connected to the large central opening by a narrow openingi'l, between the' curved end edges of adjacent flaps.

- Fastening or securing means, which may take any one of numerousavailable forms, is provided to hold the cover flaps in their closingposition shown wherein they contact the upper group of globular articlesI8, such as oranges, with which the container is snugly filled, holdingthem against substantial relative movement one to the v other, and alsopreventing them from being spilled out of the container. Most desirably,the

said fastening or securing means is elastic or resilient andsufficiently yielding to permit any or all of the cover'flaps to beswung back to permit more complete inspection of the package units; saidresilient means acting, upon release of the flaps, to return themautomatically to their normal closing position. In the present .example,stout rubber bands or elastics l9 serve admirably as such resilientsecuring or fastening .means and are found to be especially advantageousand practical for the purposes in view;

but it. is to be understood that other resilient means of widelydifieringform and character may be employed in their place. Recesses orgrooves 20, provided -i n the under portion of the container body .areof assistance in retaining the rubber bands in their desired operativeposition shown and preventing accidental -dislodgment. The use of rubberbands or other resilient fastening means, although affordingparticularly im- ,portant advantages, is not essential to the practiceof the invention in itsbroader aspects. Ordinary twine or cord, forexample, provides effectiv'e but far less convenient fastening means.

In the embodiment here illustrated, the container is made from acommercial grade of wood pulp, the complete container, comprising thetray or body portionjand its cover flaps hinged thereto at spacedlocalities along itsmargin, being molded integrally in one continuouspiece having a wall thickness so substantial as to render both the bodyand the cover flaps structin-ally strong, rigid and resistantto'deformation under all reasonable or normal handling conditions. Whilethe'thickness of the molded pulp material may vary considerably in thepractice of the invention, and is not necessarily uniform throughoutallparts of thebox, it may be'on the order of %th to fiths of an inch in'container body may advantageously be provided with a marginal orperipheral stiffening bead 24.

. In practice, this highly desirable rounded con-.

touring of the box body and cover flaps, as well I as the provision ofthe stiffening bead 2|, is accomplished in the pulp-molding operation bya which the box is formed, the parts being left stiff and rigid afterthe wet molded pulp has thoroughly dried out'in the course of themanufacturing operations. In addition to stiffening and strengtheningthe box, the rounded contouring of the box body and cover flaps, takenin conjunction with the proportioning of the containerdimensions as awhole relative to the consumer-unit of globular articles it is intendedto contain, has the further desirable function of enabling the containedarticles to be held snugly within the container in such manner as topermit little or no relative movement of the articles one to another.This aspect of the invention will be referred to more fully hereinafter.

In the broader aspects of the invention, the

cover flaps may be hinged or flexibly united to 'the container body inany desired manner. In-

stead of being molded integral with the tray member or body of thecontainer, the flaps may be secured thereto by specialhinge members suchas fabric stripsglued in proper position. But forming the flaps integralwith the body, while at the same time providing a suitably flexiblehinging joint between them, particularly when molding the container fromwood pulp or the like, has special advantages, including economy ofmanufacture, and this is therefore recommended in practice.

The manner of forming satisfactory hingejoints between each cover flapand the container.

body, when molding the container from amateriallike wood pulp, presentssome difficulties which, however, are overcome in the present boxorcontainer structure. In the molding operation, a recess 25 is formedin the upper part of the bead 2 by asuitably projecting portion of themold or die, which at the same timeiorms a relatively sharp externalshoulder or oifset 26 at the base of the cover flap. By this arrangementthe thickness of the material at the line of hinging is virtually thesame as that of the container walls and flaps; so that in actual use theflaps can be swung back and forth about the hinge many times, ifnecessary, without breaking off. It will be noted, moreover, that whenthe flap is bent or swung outwardly (e. g. as in Fig. 0), the shoulder26 is received into the recess 25 in the stiffening bead until; in thelimiting position, the under edge of the shoulder abuts and is stoppedby the wall of the recess, thus greatly lessening the chances ofbreaking the material of omy in transportion of the empty containers toplace of use requires that they be nestable, of course.

It is to be noted that provision of the stiffening bead 24 is notessential to proper formation of the cover flap hinge in accordance withthe invention, although it adds materially to the strength of the,container as a whole and serves, furthermore,v to protect the hingeshoulder 26 from injury in nesting the containers, as will ,be

seen from Fig. 10. It is also useful as a limiting stop to prevent suchclose nesting as might render it difiicult to separate the nestedcontainers one from another.

Pursuant to one of the more specific objects of the invention, the novelcontainer is so dimensioned and proportioned as to hold snugly, inpredetermined systematic arrangement, a convenient consumer-unit numberor approximate predetermined weight of globular articles, such as citrusfruit, of one uniform standard size, or of a limited range of more thanone standard size. The type of container illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12 isparticularly well adapted for the distribution and sale of oranges, forexample, in consumer units of, say, a dozen, or a dozen and a half. Thespecific container of this type here illustrated in Figs. 1 to 10 isdesigned to hold one dozen oranges, all of one standard size or dividedequally into oranges ofthat standard size and the standard size nextsmaller. Also, since oranges and other globular fruits are neverperfectly spherical, varying from the truly spherical in difierentvarieties and to some extent also in the same variety, and since thereis also some unavoidable slight variation in any standard size due toinherent limitations of the mechanical sizing methods employed or,sometimes, to withering and shrinkage, it is essential that,

. while thepackage shall always hold with reasonable snugnessand-relative immobility the component standard sized articles oftheconsumer unit it isdesigned to contain, nevertheless a reasonablevariation above and below the normal average size' must be permissiblepractically,

Through the provision of the hinged part-cover flaps and the resilientor elastic securing means which yieldingly hold them in their operativepartially closing and retaining position, and by so limiting thecapacity of the body portion of the container that a substantial part ofits intended consumer-unit content of standard sized articles mustprotrudabeyond the open side or face thereof, the novel packagingcontainer of the invention is self-adjusting as to capacity, withinreasonable limits, to take care of' this inevitable variation. i Y Y Inthe package bf thetype illustrated in Fig. l, the globular articles (e.g. oranges) are arranged, broadly speaking, in two groups constitutinga' minor proportionfand'a major proportion, .respectively; of the totalnumber of globular articles comprised in the given consumer unit. Theminor or smaller group occupies the normally lower part of thecontainer, resting I directly upon the bottom and being arranged in tworows extending longitudinally (i. e. parallel to the longer walls ll) ofthe container body,

larger group of articles is always chara lel to' the two rows ofthe-lower group n l wer r up row. These outer longitud rows of-the uppergroup are spaced apart bythe mainder of the unit is located as a'wh'oleabove the minor group,'-all the globular articles comprised thereinprojecting above theupper edge (i. e. beyond the'open face) of thetraymember or body of the container and, in the best embodiment of theinvention, therefore all being visible to a'greater-orlessextentevenwhen the cover flaps are in normal closing position, and beingsubstantially wholly exposed to view when the flaps are liftedorswungffbaiik; rangement or position-pattern offthe u 'p in thisspecific illustrativee'rnbodi'nient invention, by two outer longitudinalcontainingone more articletha'n the"cor're remaining articles of the llipr groupwhich may 'or may not also contact with articles of the lowergroup.

Where the contained unit is a dozen globular articles, the arrangementwhich has just been described generally is specifically as' illustrateddiagrammatically in Figs. 6, '7 and 8. It will be seen that the minor orlower group consists of four articles in tivo longitudinal rows,while'the .upper or larger group consists of eight articles arranged intwo outer longitudinal rows of three each which are spaced apart by asingle longitudinal row of two articles, these two articles contactingalso withthe articles in the lower group and projecting somewhat higherthan the remaining articles of the upper group. This gives a slightlyrounded general contour to the top of the contained unit number ofglobular articles which is a desirable feature for purposes of displayby dealers. The arrangement as a whole presents a pleasing andattractive appearance, permitting a prospective purchaser to see eightout of the twelve articles, such as oranges;

without even having to lift the cover fiapsp-and upon the cover flapsbeing lifted, these eight articles are very easily still more fullyexposed to view. The package is then restored to its original partlycovered condition simply by releasing the cover flaps which, through theaction of the tensioned rubber band securing means,

automatically resume their closing position and press firmly against theprotruding articles to hold the whole consumer-unit firmly and snuglywithin the container;

As a result of the described arrangement of the articles within thecontainer, a space 28 is left unoccupied at each end of the centrallongitudinal row of articles in the upper group.

This has important advantages. The more or less diagrammatic arrangementhere illustrated is,;of course, based on the assumption that thearticles are' truly spherical. But, as mentioned hereinabove, oranges orother fruits are never truly spherical and frequently depart ratherwidely from an ideal sphere. The existence of the end spaces 28 providesa means of taking care of these more or less wide variations from truesphericity in packing the particular unit numr ber (e. g. a dozen) oforanges or pears, for ex'- ample, into the container,- it being possibleto turn the corner articles and'center-row' articles, for example, ofthe upper or larger group in such 2,089,728 a way that irregularprojections can extend into these end spaces.

It will be observed that, although such a large portion of the top ofthe package is left open to expose the contents to view, the arrangementof the cover flaps enables them to cooperate not only in suflicientlyconfining the fruit peripherally but also centrally, in such manner thateven the oranges in the central row will not spill out of the containerwhen the package is inverted.

The rubber bands l9, although holding the cover flaps yieldingly, areunder such tension and of such strength that the closing force theyexert upon the flaps is not overcome by the weight of the fruit when thecontainerfis inverted. More specifically, it will be seen that, for thegreater part of its length parallel to its hinge, each cover flap, whenin operative closing position, extends inwardly over the container bodybeyond the center of any peripheral orange of the upper group; and thatat least two of the cover flaps, in this instance the shorter or endflaps l4, extend far enough toward the center to contact the two orangesof the center row. Because these center-row oranges are disposed in thecups formed between the spaced outer rows, and are also thus contactedby the end flaps I4, they are consequently locked in place and cannotfall out of the container unless the end flaps are opened up; and eventhen, they cannot easily fall out if the rubber bands l9 are in theirnormal cen-' tral position.

By leaving spaces at the corners of the box between the bases or hinginglines f adjacent cover flaps, and by giving the cover flaps a generallytrapezoidal shape with rounded ends 29, certain desirable and importantresults are achieved. Cover flaps of this desirable general shape, whichmay be also broadly designated as segmental, leave corner oranges orother globular articles exposed to a substantial extent when the flapsare in their normal closing and retaining positions, thus extending theview of the fruit afforded by the substantially rectangular largecentral opening bounded by the free inner edges 30 of 'the flaps.Moreover, the flaps do not overlap when exercising their closing andretaining function; and in what may be termed their normal or meanclosing position, adjacent flaps do not even touch, as is evident fromthe drawings. If the fruit of a given standard size which the box orcontainer is designed to hold happens to run a little over-size it cannevertheless be accommodated because in that case the flaps simplyoccupy a little higher position, with somewhat greater distance betweentheir edges at the point 11. On the other hand, if the globular articlesrun somewhat under-size, or in cases where half may be of the nextsmaller standard size, its aggregate volume is somewhat less and theflaps move farther down in attaining their clos- 'ing position, thuscontracting the effective holdflaps, such abutment is positive andproduces what is virtually an arching efiect in the cover construction,rendering it stiff and strong and resistant 'to a considerable downwardthrust.

Due to this fact, and to the fact that the tray member. or body of thecontainer is also relatively stifi and strong, it is entirely feasiblein practice to stack the filled containers -='one. upon another to aconsiderable height without crushing the lowermost container orcontainers in the stack or injuring the contents thereof. This remainstrue whether the containers be stacked' one upon another in uprightposition or tilted on their flat sides as may be desirable in somecases.

The structural rigidity of the covr attained when the limiting closingposition of the flaps is attained, i. e. with adjacent flaps actuallycontacting, is especially marked when the ends of the flaps are curved,as here shown. When thus curved, the edges of adiacent flaps abut or contact over only a relatively small portion of their peripherycorresponding to the theoretically unique point of tangency between thecurves'in which the edges are formed. This makes for more perfectdistribution among the cover flaps of the thrust they take up. andtransmit to the container side walls, due to weight'superimposed uponthe package, than would be attained if the abutting edges were notcurved, or if neither of them was curved.

The ability to stack the containers one upon another, either in normallyupright position or tilted, is very important from a transportationstandpoint whether the fruit, for example, be placed in the containersat the point of production and shipped to distant markets in freightcars, for example, or whether it be shipped to market in bulk and thenpackaged and distributed by truck to dealers in a given marketingcenter.

or district. Moreover, due to the large proportion of the top of thecontainer left uncovered by the cover flaps, ample ventilation of freshfruit shipped in this manner, so necessary for its continued well-being,is always assured, since it is impossible to so stack or stow thepackages together as to avoid leaving channels between themior aircirculation. Moreover, the bottom and side walls ofthe container may beprovided with apertures, if desired, as a further means of insuringadequate ventilation. This is ordinarily quite an unnecessary precautionto observe, however, with containers of the type herein described.

Whenthe dealer displays the packaged fruit, for example, to customers,he can do this effectively either by placing the package in its normalupright position, or by tilting it so that it rests on one of itsrelatively broad sides ll, l2,

as a base. The tilted position is sometimes prefg erable in the case ofwindow displays, for example. In either position of the box, a customercan get a fairly complete view of two-thirds of the contained fruit evenwithout moving the cover flaps; but if more thorough inspection isdesired, this can be made rapidly and easily merely by swinging theflaps outwardly, the package being then instantly restored to itsoriginal covered condition merely by letting them snap back into placethrough the action of the elastic or resilient flap-securing means, inthis instance the rubber retaining or fastening bands which areparticularly desirable.

Another example of the same general type of two-group package describedhereinabove, but adapted to contain more than a single unit quantity ofarticles, is illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. In the specific form hereillustrated, the package contains one and one-half dozen oranges of agiven standard size, the minor or lower group consisting of six orangesarranged in two longitudinal rows of three each, and the major or uppergroup consisting of twelve arranged in two outer longitudinal rows offour each and a cenyielding material, such as strong (e. g. kraft)-paper, snugly looped around the package afiixed to the end cover 'flaps33, extending longitudinally over the middle or key row of oranges andthus effectively holding them and the rest of the oranges againstdislodgment; A rubber band at extending around the package transverselymay be employed to hold the side flaps 35 in.place, thus these sideflaps can be swung outwardly for better inspection of the fruit ifdesired; the whole group, again consisting of two-thirds of thecontained'unit, being sufficiently visible without having to move theend flaps.

But, when'the tape 32 is an endless'loo-p not fastened to the end flaps,these latter can be readily freed for movement merely by sliding thetape loop laterally off the package, Said tape may advantageously carryadvertising matter.

Incidentally, it should be noted-that designations of size or grade,trade marks or other insignia, and the like, can be molded'in the pulpmaterial of which any of the novel containers may be and most desirablyare made; and any desired suitable coloring matter may be incorporatedimportantly in certain respects from the containers and packages thathave been described in detail hereinabove. One outstanding difference isthat, although the contained unit of globular articles in each case isarranged in a shingle layer or group resting on the container bottom,the body or tray portion of the container is so shallow that in thesecases also the articles project well above its upper edge.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 13-15, the polygonal box orcontainer therein illustrated is A triangular in general plan, and inthis instance is designed to contain half a dozen oranges, for example.The tray or body portion is formed by the bottom 36 and three side walls3? which flare upwardly and outwardly and are connected to each other byrounded vertices or corner portions 38. Three cover flaps 39 of equallength (the box being here shown substantially in the form of anequilateral triangle in plan), are hingedly united to the side walls.Means for holding the cover flaps in closing p sition is here shown ascomprising one rubber band 40 crosslooped around two comers only of thepackage, which amply sufiices to hold these flaps in position, at thesame time ensuring that the rubber band will not slip ofi accidentally.Obviously one or more rubber bands or other iasten g mass a'osavzs withthe side wall to which it is hinged forms virtually a hollowhalf-cylinder, the package and container as a whole being thus ofgenerally articles as to preventsubstantial relative movement thereofone to another. It is not essential, of course, that thissemi-cylindrical peripheral contour of the container and package bestrictly circular in cross-section, although an approximation thereto isgenerally desirable especially where the container is to hold fruitapproximating the spherical in shape.

It is apparent that this embodiment of the invention, like the othershereinabove described, also possesses the desirable characteristic ofpermitting most of the contained articles,'in this particular instanceall of them, to be seen while the cover flaps are in closing position,while at the same time permitting opening of the flaps for more completeinspection of the package contents and providing for their automaticreturn to closing position when released. More- .over, a package of thisform, besides being of pleasing and attractive appearance, is especiallyconvenient to carry in the hand or on the arm. It is also well suitedfor transportation in stacks or piles for distances either long orshort, with assurance of ample opportunity for air to circulate betweenand through the stacked packages, which evidently cannot be so placed asto prevent this.

The embodiment of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 16-19, which. is ofgenerallydiamond shape in plan, is likewise of the shallow tray or bodytype, with the contained globular articles arranged in a single group orlayer. In this instance, the container is designed especially to carryfour grapefruit, for example; which fraction of the dozen unit isparticularly suited for consumer packages of grapefruit.

This container comprises a. bottom ll and four side walls 42, parallelin pairs and symmetrically disposed about unequal longitudinal andtransverse axes, the junctions or intersections of the sides being mostdesirably curved, as here shown, to form rounded corners or vertices 43.Four segmental cover flaps M are hinged to the sides and spaced apart atthe base by the rounded corners, much as in the other embodiments ofsemi-cylindrical contour peripherally and thus vantages of which havealready been fully pointed out.

A very desirable and important characteristic common to all the specificembodiments of the invention shown in the drawings and hereinabovedescribed is that, while the capacity of any given container isautomatically adjustable within somewhat narrow limits to accommodatethe slight size and shape variations from normal in standard sizedglobular articles, often encountered in commercial practice,nevertheless there is, in accordanc with the principles of the invention, such relation or coordination between any container of giventype and'capacity, and the corresponding unit of definitely sizedglobular fruit (e. g.) it is intended to contain, that said unit can beplaced in said container in only one way, that is in accordance with theparticular arrangement or pattern intended for that type of container.This greatly facilitates rapid and accurate packing or filling of thecontainers.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the invention is of broadscope and that its principles.

may be embodied in containers differing widely in specific form andproportioning, and in mode and materials of construction, as well as incombinations of the containers with properly coordinated units ofdefinitely sized. articles in complete packages which likewise difierwidely among themselves in specific characteristics.

What is claimed is:

1. A packaging container comprising a body portion, in combination withcover members each flexibly joined thereto for movement into and out ofcovering position thereover, said members being spaced apart at theirbases and of such width transversely thereto that, when cooperating insuch covering position, they are effective to retain articles within thecontainer but leave 40 the container open centrally and also at spacedperipheral localities.

2. A packaging container comprising a body portion, and a plurality ofcover members curved to present concave innerfaces, said cover mem- 45bers being secured to said body portion and movable into and out ofcooperating covering position thereover. i

3. A packaging container comprising a polygonal body portion, aplurality of segmental cover 50 flaps curved to present concave innerfaces and hinged at their bases to said body portion at spacedlocalities along the periphery thereof for movement into. and out ofcooperating covering position thereover, said flaps being so shaped andproportioned that when in covering position they cooperate withoutoverlapping to form a part cover which leaves the container uncoveredcentrally and also peripherally between the flap bases. 1

5. A packaging container comprising a .body' 7 portion and a pluralityof segmental cover flaps 4. A packaging container comprising a body eachhinged at its base to said body portion for movement into and out ofcovering position, each flap being arcuate in cross-section transverselyof its base to present a concave inner face and being so limited intransverse width that, when the flaps are moved into covering position,they leave a central portion of the container uncovered.

6. A packaging container comprising a body of generally polygonal shapewith rounded corners, and a plurality of cooperating cover membershinged to said body at localities intermed a e said rounded corners andspaced apart thereby, said cover members being so shaped that when theyare in coverin'gposition they leave the body uncovered at said roundedcorners.

7. A packaging container comprising a body of generally polygonal shapewith rounded corners, and a plurality of cooperating cover membershinged to said body at localities intermediate said rounded corners andspaced apart thereby, said cover members being curved transversely tothe line of hinging to present concave inner faces.

8. A package of globular articles comprising, in combination with aconsumer-unit plurality of definitely sized globular articles, acontainer having a substantially stifl and self-sustaining body portionprovided with upwardly flaring walls and generally polygonal in plan.within which said articles are placed in predetermined arrangement, saidwalls being of such limited height that the majority of said articlesproject thereabove, and a plurality of cover flaps hinged to said bodyportion at spaced localities for move- I ment into and out ofcooperating covering position thereover, and resilient means yieldinglyholding said cover flaps in place, said cover flaps being curved topresent concave inner faces and being so proportioned and arranged thatthey do not overlap in covering position and that they leave the upperpart of the package partially uncovered both centrally and peripherally.

9. A package of globular articles comprising in combination with aplurality of such globular articles arranged in a single tier or layer,a tray member holding said articles and having 'side walls curvingoutward and upward to a height less than that of said articles, andcurved segmental cover fiaps hinged to said tray alongi'ts upper margin,the curvature of the tray side walls and cover flaps conformingapproximately to the curvature of the contained articles, whereby thefiaps cooperate with the adjacent portions of the tray side walls torender the package approximately semi-cylindrical peripherally.

10. A package of globular articles comprising, in combination with aconsumer-unit plurality of definitely sized globular articles, acontainer holding said plurality snugly in predetermined arrangement.said container comprising a body portion,-and cover members eachflexibly joined thereto for movement into and out of covering positionthereover, said cover members being so shaped and arranged thatfinclosing position, they cooperate in assisting to retain said globulararticles in said predetermined arrangement within the container, whileleaving the container open centrally and also at spaced peripherallocalities to expose the contents.

11. A package of globular articles as defined in claim 10, furthercomprising elastic securing means engaging and exerting pressure uponsaid cover members, thereby holding them yieldingly in covering positionand in contact with certain of said globular articles.

12. A package of globular articles, as defined in claim 10, which isgenerally polygonal in plan, with rounded corners. l

13. A package of globular articles, as defined in claim lQ, which isgenerally triangular in plan.

14. A package of globular articles as defined in claim 10, having in.plan substantially the shape of an equi-lateral triangle.

15. A package of globular articles, as defined in claim 10, which isgenerally diamond-shaped in plan.

16. A package of globular articles as defined in claim 10, having inplan substantially the shapeof an equi-lateral triangle, and furthercomprising elastic band means looped around the container to engage-andexert pressure upon said cover members, thereby holding them yielding lyin covering position and in contact with certain of said globulararticles.

17. A package of globular articles comprising,

in combination with a consumer-unit plurality of definitely sizedglobular articles, a container holding said articles in predeterminedarrangement, said container comprising a body portion having an openside and a holding capacity so limited that some of said globulararticles protrude beyond said body portion on that side, a

plurality of cover members flexibly joined to 'said body portion formovement into and out of posi- 0 tion to contact with such protrudingarticles,

said cover members being so limited in transverse width that, when movedinto such position, they leave a central portion of the containeruncovered, and elastic securing means engaging and exerting pressureupon said cover members which is transmitted to said articles, therebyretaining them snugly in their aforesaid predetermined arrangementwithin the container, ,said elastic securing means being yieldable topermit the 0 cover members to be moved out of such retaining position inorder to permit inspection of said articles, but acting automatically,upon release of a cover member so moved, to return the same to retainingposition. r 18. A packaging container as defined in claim 1, 0 providedwith resilient means arranged to hold said cover members normally incooperating covering position but yieldable to permit one or more ofthem to be moved out of said position, said resilient means actingautomatically, upon release of any cover member so moved,'to return thesame to covering position.

19. A packaging container as defined in claim 2, provided with resilientmeans arranged to hold H said cover members normally in cooperatingcovportion and a plurality of cooperating cover members hingedly unitedthereto and transversely curved to present concave inner faces, bothsaid body portion and cover members being molded 20. A packagingcontainer comprising a body from fibrous pulp and having such thicknessas to render them substantially rigid and deformation-resisting.

21. A packaging container comprising a body portion, and a plurality ofcover members curved to present concave inner faces, said cover membersbeing secured to said body portion and movable into and out ofcooperating covering position thereover, said container as a whole beingmolded integrally from fibrous pulp material.

22. A nestable container, formed in one integral structure from fibrouspulp material, comprising a relatively rigid tray member or bodypolygonal in plan and having a bottom and inclined side walls connectedby rounded corner portions, together with part-cover flaps eachvhingedlyunited to one of said side walls, the bases of said flaps being spacedapart by said rounded corner portions, and each flap being adapted andmovable to extend inwardly therefrom and provide, in cooperation withthe other flaps, a part cover forthe container while leaving a centralportion thereof open.

23. A container of the character described, formed integrally fromfibrous pulp material, comprising a fiat bottom, side walls rigidlyjoined to said bottom and to each other by rounded corner portions toform a tray member or body, and cover flaps each fiexibly joined at itsbase to one of said sides for bendinginwardly over said body, said coverflaps having their bases spaced apart by said rounded corner portionsand being of such extent and configuration that, when so bent inwardly,they cooperate to cover said body partially, while leaving a substantialportion thereof open for inspection of the contents, the wall thicknessof said container being such as to render it stifi and strong enough tobe not only self-sustaining but also to resist deformation by appliedforce of substantial magnitude.

24. A container, molded in one integral structure from fibrous pulp.material, comprising a hold the globular articles against substantialrelative movement therewithin, said container being molded from pulpmaterial to a wall thickness adequate to give substantial structuralstiffness and ruggedness, and comprising a body portion and cover meanshinged thereto for movement into and out of covering position, togetherwith resilient means tending to hold said cover means in coveringposition, said cover means, as well. as a substantial part of said bodyportion, being of rounded contour.

ERNEST M. BROGDEN.

